TUCSON — Reliever Rafael Betancourt’s noticeably trimmer physique came at a price. Turns out he lost 10 pounds while battling a virus over the winter. It left him unable to work out from Dec. 27 to Jan. 19. As a result, Betancourt asked to be scratched from Thursday’s spring training game so he could build up more strength in two more live BP sessions Tuesday and Friday.

“I felt like I would have been rushing it, and I don’t to risk an injury this early in camp,” Betancourt said. “We will see how I feel after BP, then get into a game from there.”

Jorge De La Rosa will pitch Thursday in Betancourt’s absence against the Diamondbacks, picking up two innings behind starter Jason Hammel.

Also, outfielder Brad Hawpe will take it easy the first few games. He had ingrown toenail late last week, and as with most players, it makes no sense to push the envelope at this point. He’s beginning baseball activities today, leaving him on schedule to play in games probably this coming weekend.

Footnotes
Jeff Francis was beaming when he walked into the clubhouse today following Canada’s Olympic gold medal win. “I am walking two inches off the ground,” he said. … Jay Payton on playing in today’s intrasquad game at 12:30 at Hi Corbett Field. “I need all the at-bats I can get.”

Canada was going to beat Team USA in hockey Sunday night, and Francis, a native of British Columbia, was going to walk into the Rockies’ clubhouse and remind everyone of it. He even had a red “Canada” sweatshirt picked out just for the occasion.

Oops.

Team USA’s 5-3 victory put a new spin on things. It also landed the cover of the USA Today sports section, the one trumpeting the Americans’ victory, above Francis’ locker, courtesy of an anonymous teammate.

“It was going to be my one time to come in and boast,” said Francis.

Francis spent Sunday night watching the game at his Tucson condo. He wanted to crank up the volume on the tube and in his lungs, but couldn’t because his infant daughter was sleeping.

Jeff Francis throws from the mound in Tucson this week. (AP, Ed Andrieski)

TUCSON — Because you asked, yes I saw Jeff Francis throw a side session today on a backfield. I don’t profess to be a pitching coach, though I do work with the 10-year-old and 12-year-old Longmont Outlawz competitive baseball teams. That has made me an expert on pop music and bubble gum flavors, but not all deliveries.

Anyway, here’s what I noticed right away with Francis. He’s throwing much more over the top, resembling the delivery he had until the latter part of the 2007 season. Shoulder pain caused him to compensate, which led to a three-quarter motion that was drastic he hardly recognized himself on video. Secondly, the ball is coming out of his hands free and easy. Throwing to catcher Mike McKenry, Francis located his fastball down in the zone and flipped in a few good curveballs that McKenry praised.

“I am not overcompensating for anything. I am not hesitating. My arm is doing what it’s supposed to do again,” Francis told me Friday afternoon.

Until Francis throws to hitters without a L screen in front of him, it’s hard to draw any conclusions. But it’s clear that he’s healthy. That’s a good start.

Other nuggets:

**Huston Street was painting at the knees in his side session. He looks way ahead schedule from last spring when he was working through a leg injury and wound up changing his placement on the pitching rubber. “There’s definitely a difference. He wasn’t like this early last spring,” said Paul Phillips, who caught Street’s session Friday.

**Miguel Olivo is going to spend extra time working on his receiving skills. The guy is impressive physically.

**Reliever Justin Speier started a new tradtion — the joke of the day. His first one was unprintable, but hilarious. Each new guy when introduced during stretch will be required to tell a joke. I like the idea. “Spring training is long, so you have to keep it loose. I set the bar high for the kids. They are going to have to come up with some pretty good jokes.”

The intrasquad game Monday featured big hits from Todd Helton and Ian Stewart, terrible bunts (Jorge De La Rosa twice) and some sprints. OK, the running came afterward as nearly all the players ran to first, then from second to home. Plenty gassed, first base coach Glenallen Hill injected humor.

The day, he said, would finish with home run trots. Hill wanted theatrics.
“He gave out style points,” said second baseman Eric Young Jr.

There were some classics. Ian Stewart pimped his imaginary home run, staring it down for several seconds. It prompted one of the coaches to ask who was up next because they were going to get knocked down. Carlos Gonzalez channeled Carlton Fisk, motioning for a shot down the line to stay fair. Matt Miller spawned hilarity. After his big swing, he squat thrust the bat and threw it into the air. Then there was Chris Frey. He opted for the inside the parker, smoking around the bases and sliding head first into home to the delight of his teammates.

World Baseball Classic notes
Even before Jason Grilli’s performance tonight, the Rockies were a little concerned about the WBC. Manuel Corpas twiced worked two innings for Panama in exhibition and tournament play. He only worked two innings three times last season. Said GM Dan O’Dowd, “At least he kept his pitch counts down. He was under 30 each time.” Corpas should be in camp either Tuesday or Wednesday. Grilli’s Italian team upset Canada 6-2. Grilli recorded the save by working an astounding 3 1/3 innings. He last pitched that long on Aug. 28, 2007. It will be interesting to see if there are any side effects to an instense workload that early in spring. … The United States plays again on Wednesday, but has already advanced to the second round.

Todd Helton won’t DH in the intrasquad game today at soggy Hi Corbett Field. But there is no reason for concern. He told me this morning his back feels the same as it has after his regular workouts. He will return to the lineup soon, likely Tuesday at home against the Oakland Athletics and former teammate Matt Holliday.
“I feel good,” Helton said.

His home run Sunday was still the talk in the clubhouse. Troy Tulowitzki joked that the game isn’t supposed to “be that easy.” Matt Belisle explained, “You don’t know how hard it is to center a ball like that.” And Ryan Spilborghs summed it up: “It was awesome. Awesome. It was a great moment.”

Some housecleaning: As it stands Jorge De La Rosa said he will start Tuesday against Oakland. Greg Smith, who was back in the clubhouse today following his illness, will likely piggyback. With Panama eliminated in the World Baseball Classic, Manuel Corpas should return to Tucson shortly. He has pitched well this spring as he tries to regain his closer’s role. Reliever Jason Grilli’s Italian team plays an elimination game tonight against Canada in Toronto. And Ubaldo Jimenez will start a must-win game for the Dominican Republic Tuesday against the winner of Puerto Rico and the Netherlands. Rockies’ catcher Chris Iannetta showed off last night, driving in four runs in the Americans’ 15-6 rout of Venezuela last night.

Sitting on the visitors’ bench in Turner Field last September, Rockies’ reliever Jason Grilli talked so passionately about his family’s cooking you could practically smell the pasta. Grilli takes pride in his heritage, which is one of reasons he has verbally agreed to pitch for Italy in the second World Baseball Classic.
“You get to play some real competitive baseball, it’s fun and it breaks up the monotony of spring training,” Grilli said today. “When the people first heard about the WBC, they snickered and sneered, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”
Grilli knows that some pitchers are leary of the WBC, citing the potential for injury or the difficulty of ramping up their offseason to be ready for intense innings in March. Grilli said his participation in the inaugural WBC in 2006 made him better.
“The first few times out in spring your stuff is not there, your timing is off. This enhances it a little more,” Grilli said. “I am mature enough to know what my limitations are. No one is out there trying to hurt themself.”
Grilli joked that he might make Team USA catcher Chris Iannetta a little uncomfortable. Grilli though that Iannetta was going to play for Italy until a few days ago.
“I don’t know what happened there. I guess he wants to play a little longer in the tournament because Italy is not a favorite (in the pool with USA, Venezuela and Canada),” Grilli said. “He’s going to have to look out. He might get a few high and tight (pitches).”
Grilli emerged as an important piece of the Rockies’ the bullpen after arriving in a trade from the Tigers. He went 3-2 with a 2.93 ERA in 51 games. He will enter spring training as part of a late-inning mix that includes closer candidates Huston Street and Manuel Corpas and fellow setupmen Taylor Buchholz and Alan Embree.

LAS VEGAS – Ubaldo Jimenez, the young Rockies’ starter with the super stuff, could be in line for a long-term contract.

General manager Dan O’Dowd said Monday night that the team will explore a multi-year deal with Jimenez after the first of the year. O’Dowd, however, said the Rockies won’t let the talks linger.

“We won’t we won’t be doing any of that once spring training starts,” he said.
Jimenez, who turns 25 next month, went 12-12 with a 3.99 ERA.

The Rockies are not inclined to offer a long-term deal to catcher Chris Iannetta, reasoning that they want to see where Iannetta’s at after a full season as the club’s No. 1 catcher.

Options in the outfield. Though the Rockies no longer have Matt Holliday in left field, O’Dowd believes the Rockies still have plenty of talent. While still looking to trade center fielder Willy Taveras, O’Dowd the Rockies plan to give Seth Smith a long look in left field, and he wants to give Carlos Gonzalez a shot at playing center. O’Dowd also said the Rockies will experiment with third baseman Ian Stewart in left and at second base.

The Rockies are especially jazzed about Smith’s potential.

“He probably has the best swing mechanics of anybody on our team,” O’Dowd said. “I wouldn’t be shocked if he went out and hit 20 homers.”

In 67 games last season, Smith hit .259 with four homers and 15 RBIs.

Gonzalez, part of the Holliday trade to Oakland, has been sidelined by a viral infection that has kept him out of the lineup in Venezuela winter ball for the the past two weeks.
Lefty search. The Rockies are one of eight teams scheduled to watch left-handed reliever Joey Eischen throw next week in Tampa, Fla. Eischen, 38, last pitched for Washington in 2006 before shoulder troubles put his career on hold. He has a 3.67 career ERA.

Maddux moment. Pitcher Greg Maddux said farewell to his baseball Monday in typical Maddux style. There were no tears and no theatrics, just a humble thank you to the game he loved. At the beginning and the end of his press conference, Maddux said “thank you” 11 times.

“He really is a humble, humble guy,” said his brother, Mike, a former major league pitcher and coach. “But he always wanted to be the best, too.

Maddux ranks eighth in baseball history with 355 career victories and he’s a lock for the Hall of Fame. He won the Cy Young Award four times and even during baseball’s steroid era, his command and guile made him one of the best pitchers in baseball history.

Maddux said he knew last spring that his 23rd season in the majors was likely going to be his last.

“I had kind of told some teammates and some people in baseball that this was going to be my last year,” he said. “I don’t think they really believed me, but I think I was telling the truth that time. But I didn’t want the dog-and-pony show going on the last couple of months of my career.”

Footnotes. While they are still interested in developing Franklin Morales as a starter, he could emerge from spring training as a long reliever. … Jeff Francis, who finished the season on the disabled list because of a sore shoulder, will not pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic.

The Rockies might as well have been eloping to Canada given what greeted them at Rogers Centre today. There was something old (Big Daddy Cecil Fielder), something new (slumping Vernon Wells is hitting leadoff) and something blue (every seat in the stadium is drenched in the color).

Fielder was in town for Flashback Friday, when the team salutes players from the past. Fielder is a manager for Port Charlotte in an independent league based in Florida. He proudly told the story of his first ejection the other night. When the subject turned to his famous son, it was awkward. Fielder hasn’t spoke with Prince, the slugging sensation for the Brewers, in “two-to-three years.” Fielder believes his ex-wife is to blame for the impasse, saying that she made Prince the man of the house, casting Cecil as the enemy.

Others insist the feud is related to money, given Cecil’s well-documented financial problems.

As for Wells, he is struggling, so the team put him in the leadoff spot for the first time since July 11, 2002. GM J.P. Ricciardi told me that he thinks Wells is pressing and that a change could help him.

The Rockies have captured Toronto’s attention. Their players and front office are very well aware of how Colorado has played since much of the damage has come against the AL East. The Rockies are 9-3 in the East, which is more wins than the Yankees have in the East.

Rich Harden isnâ€™t a pitcher. Heâ€™s a health hazard. Even without Barry Zito and Frank Thomas, itâ€™s easy to squint into the March desert sun and see the Athletics playing deep into October. Read more…

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.